3 SEX OFFENDERS ON SAME STREET
PARENTS’ FEARS OVER MEN WHO LIVE NEAR NURSERY & SCHOOL BUS STOP
‘They live amongst us and we want to protect our children ... we are naturally concerned’
PARENTS in a small Gwynedd village said they were horrified to learn three convicted child sex offenders were living in one street.
They say they have been to the police and the council about their fears over the three men, whose houses are a short distance from a local nursery and a school bus pick-up point.
Police said registered sex offenders are ‘ managed and monitored’, and the council has said it may look for more suitable places for the bus to pick children up from in light of the concerns raised by the parents.
One Clynnog Fawr mother who contacted the Herald’s sister paper, The Daily Post, said when she went to the police about her worries she had been told there was nothing they could do to help.
The mum, who asked not to be named, said: “I wanted to talk about it logically and in a reasonable, adult way, but the officer said the police couldn’t help and if I wanted any information I’d have to find it out myself.”
One of the men living in Llwyn y Ne is Frank Jones, who was convicted of gross indecency against a boy.
Jones, 78, who had also been jailed in the late 1980s for an indecent assault on another victim, had admitted to indecency with a boy in 1972, and was spared jail by the judge at Caernarfon crown court in May 2016.
He was ordered to register as a sex offender and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.
Jonathan Hughes-Evans, who also lives in Llwyn y Ne, was convicted in 2013 after making searches on the internet for terms including “jail bait videos”, “under-age” and “pre-teen”.
He claimed he had downloaded “by accident” the 1,600 images found on his computer. There were also videos of girls between the ages of six and 11.
The judge at Caernarfon Crown Court told the then 27-year-old that his crimes were not victimless and he was given a 10-month suspended jail term and ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
Two years later, HughesEvans’ father, David HughesEvans, was convicted of sexually assaulting a teenager between 1989 and 1991.
He was jailed for four years but is now out on licence and is living back at the family home in Llwyn y Ne.
Another worried parent said: “The children have to walk to the corner and wait for the bus.
“The nursery school is also a short distance away and we are naturally concerned.
“These men live amongst us and we want to protect our children.”
Police said they had spoken directly to parents who were concerned about the three men living on Llwyn y Ne.
Det Sgt Arwel Jones, of the Western Area Sex and Violent Offenders Unit, said: “Whilst we are unable to comment on individuals, the public can be reassured all Registered Sex Offenders are managed and monitored under MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements).
“MAPPA brings together responsible authorities – namely the prison, police and probation services – in order for their respective statutory functions to be best discharged when managing offenders either in the community or in custody.
“These agencies work in partnership with a range of others that have a duty to cooperate in order to reduce reoffending and protect the public.
“In relation to the specific concerns raised in the Clynnog Fawr area by a parent, an officer from the Sex and Violent Offenders Unit has spoken with her and a local councillor to outline our role in jointly managing and monitoring Registered Sex Offenders in the community and to discuss their concerns.
“Should these concerns continue, the officer left his personal contact details.”
The officer added that all Registered Sex Offenders living in the community are monitored and visited but, if anyone has any specific concerns, they should contact North Wales Police control room direct on 101, or, anonymously, via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or, if it is an emergency, dial 999.
A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said: “Whilst there are no designated bus stops in the Llwyn y Ne housing estate, we are aware the school transport provider does pick up pupils from the estate. Officers from the council’s Transportation Service are happy to discuss possible alternative locations for picking-up pupils.”